One of the leading manufacturers of dropper posts, Kind Shock (9.1 / B27) has plenty of experience with hydraulic cartridges and telescopic construction. At Eurobike, the company is adding another product category to its portfolio with air-sprung suspension forks.
When Kind Shock acquired fellow Taiwanese fork and parts maker Saso a few years ago, the company already added upside-down forks for fat bikes to its portfolio. At the same time, company founder Martin Hsu could be seen riding prototype forks. After more than three years of development, the first two forks have debuted at Eurobike under the company’s premium KS brand. With just 40 mm of travel and space for tires with a dimension of up to 700x50C, the GTC is purpose-built for gravel bikes. For climbs and paved sections you get a rock-solid lock-out, and as soon as the going gets bumpy the full range of rebound adjustment comes in handy. The claimed weight of the GTC, which comes with a 100×12 thru-axle, is 1480 grams.
The second KS suspension fork that’s premiering at Eurobike is the A3.0, available for 20, 24 or 26 inch wheels and built for kids bikes. Thanks to carbon lowers bonded to alloy dropouts available for either thru-axles or quick release-axles, the weight of these forks is reasonably low, and the air spring can be set to work with low rider weights. The stanchions and the non-tapered steerer tube are made from aluminum as is the forged crown, and the hydraulic cartridge comes with adjustable rebound damping and a lock-out.